Cornwall control room opens to tackle ambulance delays

A new control room has been set up to tackle winter pressures across Cornwall's health and social care system, the NHS confirmed.

The department, based at New County Hall in Truro, is one of 40 going live across England to "get patients into beds as quickly as possible".

NHS Cornwall's chief nursing officer said one of its key priorities would be managing ambulance waiting times.

Susan Bracefield said the system had a "very challenging winter coming".

She said: "We have still seen ambulances on hold over the last couple of weeks, what we haven't seen are the numbers of ambulances being held that we had in summer, and certainly the length of time, that is the other area that has been a particular problem.

"We can see if those ambulances are being held and it gives us the opportunity to talk to RCHT [Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust] about the actions they're taking to clear those ambulances."

Ms Bracefield said the department would work alongside the ambulance service, RCHT and Cornwall's NHS Foundation Trust to monitor its live feeds.

"All of their live data feeds come through on the screens that we monitor, we can see pressure building and we can also see how that pressure is then released through various actions that are taken," she said.

Ms Bracefield hoped the new department would help co-ordinate departments to work together in a more efficient way.

"Ultimately, it's patient safety, it is keeping the people of Cornwall safe when they need our services and when they're going through our services," she said.

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